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One of my fondest memories of
growing up in Michigan was wandering with my
grandfather through the woods behind the house and
picking wild strawberries in the spring. And
then later on in the year, there was an abundance
of wild blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
And all of my uncles hunted and fished. So
eating "wild" was part of life as I knew it "back
then".

Many years later I worked for a
fancy wholesale produce company in Asheville North
Carolina. It was my job to call on the chefs
at the better restaurants in town and let them
know about what was "in season". I would
carry baskets of the latest delectables with me
and often these baskets were filled with items
like fiddleheads and wild mushrooms and edible
wild violets -- all from local foragers who
supplemented their income by wandering through the
fields and woods. Whether it's morels
and fiddleheads gathered in the forest in spring
and served in the fanciest restaurants ... or
grubs and insects downed as part of a gross-out
exercise on primetime TV, it seems that little by
little our "cultivated tastes" are returning to
their natural "hunter-gatherer" state. And
there's mounting evidence that it's a healthy
state indeed

Even more beer and food
lovers will get to sample the delights of Monteith's Wildfood Challenge
this year when Dunedin joins the three main regions as one of the
hosts.

"The
Challenge, which brings together the exotic tastes of Wild food
with the different flavours of Monteith's beers, has become so
popular since its inception three years ago that organisers are
taking it further South.

"We are
delighted to be able to include Dunedin in the Challenge and that
even more people will be able to enjoy some of the best wild food
and beer New Zealand has to offer," says Monteith's Master Brewer,
Keith Armstrong.

After starting
out in Auckland's restaurant haven, Ponsonby, in 1998, the
Challenge proved so successful it was immediately extended last
year to include downtown Wellington and Christchurch.

The aim of the
Challenge is for chefs to create two dishes to match two of the
five Monteith's beers - the popular Original Ale, Celtic Red,
Golden Lager, Black Beer and Pilsner.

The only
criteria are that wild - or non-farm produced - food is used
(excluding endangered species, of course) and that normal health
and safety regulations are followed.

The chefs are
encouraged to use as much innovation and creativity they can
muster to produce taste sensations all wild food fanciers and beer
lovers will relish.

Grilled
Mackerel at the Beach"It is
not unusual to have a school swim very close to
shore during the spring or fall. When this happens
you can wade in the surf and scoop a few for a
great dinner on a beach campfire...."

As I browse through
bookstores, both online and off, I am amazed at
how many books have been written on the
subject of foraging for wild food ...particularly
in the past 5 years. There are several of my
favorites below.

After reading quite a few of
these books, I am somewhat comforted by the fact
that I could indeed not only survive by foraging
wild plants and fish, but that it would be a
healthy and delicious way of living as well.

Here are some books and other
resources on wild food and foraging.

Books on Foraging
for Wild Food

The Neighborhood Forager: A Guide for the
Wild Food Gourmet by Robert K. Henderson Unique,
practical guide for the wild food gourmet! In
The Neighborhood Forager: A Guide For The Wild Food
Gourmet, Robert Henderson demonstrates that
foraging for wild edibles is not difficult, nor
does it require special equipment or traveling to
some distant swamp or forest. Indeed, there is a
bounty of harvestable foodstuffs to be found in
the suburbs or the city. Profusely illustrated
throughout, The Neighborhood Forager is organized
into chapters based on plant type and is a
complete "how to" introduction for the novice wild
edibles gatherer covering hundreds of widespread,
delicious, nutritious species of plants within
easy reach of everyone.

Edible Wild Plants: a North American Field Guide by
Thomas S. Elias
"... Wild Plants is divided by seasons, and what is
edible just in case you are surviving in nature's
wonderland without fast food places just three miles down
the road.... The color photographs show the shapes and
colors of the leaves and berries, which makes describing a
meal easier. A map of the U. S. is coded to show you where
the plants are likely to grow. Additionally, there are
many details about the plants, such as what part to eat
and whether it can be a full meal or just a salad. One of
the most important details included about the plants is a
list of poisonous look-alikes... I give this five stars
for photography, information, and an easy to use reference
book. " Victoria Tarrani CA

Modern
Day Food Foraging"....As a
child, I loved to traipse along ditch banks in the
spring and summer to find tender asparagus stalks,
fruit, and whatever else was free and edible.
Today, long hikes in the canyon wetlands, desert
arroyos, and mountains find me searching for pine
gum, pinon nuts, strawberries, blueberries,
currents, wild garlic, mushrooms, rosehips,
juniper berries, wild peas, and other goodies.
Amaranth, an ancient source of flour, husk
tomatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes are also freely
available in our southwestern area....

"....One summer
in New Mexico, I noticed a For Sale sign at
a beautiful old estate. I also noticed that
the trees were overburdened with ripe fruit that,
except for birds and insects, would all go to
waste. I wrote down the telephone number of the
real estate agent and planned to ask permission to
harvest the fruit. Later, when I somewhat timidly
called, I was surprised at how happy the realtor
was to grant us permission. Looking back, I
realize a large fruit drop is unsightly and makes
property look abandoned and uncared for. I learned
a good lesson . . . it never hurts to
ask...."

What
is a Huckleberry?"....Because
they do not withstand transplanting or
propagation, huckleberry bushes cannot be
commercially grown, and therefore the berries must
be handpicked one by one deep in the mountains.
Huckleberries are a favorite of bears and bees,
and consequently are adventurous to pick. Once you
have tasted a Huckleberry, there is no comparison
to any other berry. This wilderness factor and the
scrumptious taste make Huckleberries a true
delicacy...."

On
the sustainability of wild mushrooms:
".....the part you see above the ground is
only a small part of the mushroom. Underground
there is a web-like network of fibers, called the
mycelium, which are the real "plant."
The part of the mushroom that we see is roughly
equivalent to the apple on a tree. When we pick
it, the plant itself is undisturbed, in the same
way that a fruit tree is undisturbed when we pick
fruit.

"In
addition, wild mushrooms don't need to be sprayed,
plowed, weeded or even planted. They find and make
their own way in wild places, among wild things.
If we are lucky enough to stumble across them,
they make a delicious meal. Sautιed in butter or
olive oil with a bit of garlic or onion, they have
a wild and woodsy flavor which is difficult to
describe....."

A
WORD OF CAUTION:
Some mushrooms are deadly poisonous and you should
only eat a mushroom if you are very experienced
and are absolutely certain of what you have
picked!

"The Anne
Arundel County, Maryland, police officer responded
to hundreds of deer accidents and saw lots of
venison go to waste. So he started a program with
other officers and businesses to give deer meat
from roadkills to charity....."